NOVEL NEXT Chapter 312: Destined Loser.
Loki walked without worry towards the Quidditch pitch where the first round of the Triwizard Competition was being held. He had a plan in mind. But it wasn't anything rigid. All he'd thought of was how he would distract the Totem Baby.
'Well, those people should be happy that I at least did this much.'
'Not like I have an opportunity to win anyway when the judges will be giving me the lowest scores.'
"Are you ready?" Loki heard Hermione's voice as he neared the tent.
"Wow Mione~! You don't even care about me huh? I'm hurt…" Loki said clutching his chest dramatically causing Hermione to spare him a short glance and then ignore him as she went back to talking to Harry who definitely looked like he needed someone's support.
Loki didn't mind and walked over to Harry, patting his back softly as he said, "Nothing can happen to you. I'm sure the Headmaster will step in and protect any champions that might risk death."
Harry nodded and it seemed Loki's words had helped him a bit since his tense shoulders relaxed a little.
It was then that Ludo Bagman entered the champion's tent.
"Hello! Hello!! Good morning champions!!! A wonderful day ain't it! I'm sorry miss, you'll have to leave the tent, it's only for champions beyond this point in time."
Hermione nodded and after sparing one last look at Harry she began walking back towards the exit. But before she left, she elbowed Loki in the ribs as she whispered, 'Good luck.'
Loki laughed a little but didn't say anything and moved closer to Ludo Bagman since he was showing all the champions something.
"Now, although I know you have prepared a lot, I'm still required to do this.", Bagman said as he opened his palm to show a small model of the Baby Totem and its gate along with a strange golden chalice at the other end placed in a red circle.
"This is a Baby Totem, and this is the Gate to the underworld that it protects. This goblet in the red circle is the chalice of victory and it needs to be in this red circle for your round to end.
Your job is simple, you've got to enter the gate to the underworld and bring out a soul with the help of the chalice, and have to place the filled chalice in the red circle to declare victory."
Everyone frowned seeing how they really had to fight the Baby Totem.
They had all harboured hopes, some less and some more, that the Baby Totem was just a distraction and their real aim would be something else, even a dragon seemed better at this point.
"That's about it. That's all I have to inform you about. Now we shall begin by pulling lots to decide the order in which you'll face the Gate Guardian Totem."
Bagman stored away all the miniature figurines he'd just used to show everyone the rules into a small bag on his waist as he pulled out from it four sticks with various lengths.
"The order shall be from the shortest to the longest, now choose your sticks.", Bagman said as he gripped the sticks and arranged them such that they all appeared the same size in his fist.
Everyone extended their hands at the same time and picked one stick for themselves, except Loki was the fastest and the trickiest since he 'stole' the stick Fleur was aiming for and substituted it with the remaining one.
Bagman opened his palm and revealed the order.
"Miss Fleur Delacour will be first, followed by Mister Viktor Krum, followed by Mister Harry Potter and last but not the least, our fourth champion, Mister Loki.", Ludo announced with a smile on his face.
Fleur instantly scowled as she realised the stick she'd pulled out was not the one she was aiming for and she looked at Loki.
'Eh…good luck, bad luck, what can you do about it?' Loki just shrugged.
Fleur just shook her head and went to the infirmary bed that was set up individually for each champion in case they were brutalised during their fights.
Loki however walked up to Madam Pomfrey who was clearly very distressed and looked like she'd almost burst out in anger at any moment because of the stupidity of the competition.
"Why so serious Madam Pomfrey?" Loki asked as he picked up an apple to munch on while he waited for everyone else to finish.
"Not worried something will happen to you?" Madam Pomfrey asked with her eyebrows raised as she looked at Loki with a frown.
"Eh. I'm not that interested in the competition, clearly, someone wanted me dead and they're trying their best to make it look like an accident."
"Shouldn't that make you more worried?"
"I mean, I'll just say I give up if something happens that's too much for me to handle. I'm sure the headmaster will never allow something to happen to his own students."
Madam Pomfrey *sighed* and mumbled under her breath, "If only the others had even a fraction of your self-preservation instinct."
"Any tips for me Madam?" Loki asked.
"And why do you think I know anything about what's going on? And by the way, aren't champions not supposed to ask for help?" Madam Pomfrey said, going back to checking all her materials so that she'd be ready in case anything happened. "Pass me that crate."
Loki walked over to a crate with several flasks of a rather warm golden shimmering fluid in it, picked it up with his wand and placed it on the table.
'Phoenix flames potion?'
"I mean, I'll only be unburdening you if you give me tips now."
Madam Pomfrey didn't respond and shooed away the shameless boy mumbling, "Can't even ask me for advice softly…does he want me to announce it to everyone or something?"
Loki went back to his spot in the tent and sat down on his bed as he thought about the hint Madam Pomfrey had given him.
'Phoenix flame potion…so the Totem uses ice attacks?'
'But the book clearly said it used fire…and it even had that blue fiery tongue which it used to wrap around the dragon and eat…'
'Is she just pulling my leg?'
Loki was confused but he decided to trust Madam Pomfrey more than the books he'd read in the library.
'Maybe exiting the portal causes their abilities to flip?'
'Like a mirror? Clockwise becomes counter-clockwise?'
'How strange…'
Suddenly a loud sound took the attention of all the champions.
"AND SO! LET'S CALL OUT OUR FIRST CHAMPION! MISS FLEUR DELACOURR!!!!!!"
There was a *thunder* of *claps* and everyone in the infirmary was suddenly very alert to the audience that would be watching them.
Fleur stood up slowly and with a soft low exhale, and exited the tent to go face the baby totem on her own.
"Good luck Fleur!" Loki shouted from behind causing Fleur to almost stumble but she managed to hold herself and walk towards the pitch with a slightly more confident smile.
'I 'zid not know he had some goodz' in him? Maybe he's not so bad after all.'
But then Loki shouted-
"Go become a loser!!!!! It's your destiny!!!!"
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